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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 01-09-20
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Spokesman's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi du Service Presse et Communicationb
Midday Express 20/09/2001
[01] PME et euro : des progrès mais un risque de retard pour les plus
petites
Une PME européenne sur cinq estime qu'elle ne sera pas capable d'effectuer
toutes ses opérations en euros au 1er janvier 2002. C'est le constat qui
ressort de la dernière enquête FLASH Eurobaromètre sur les PME et l'euro
réalisée en juillet/août 2001 et publiée aujourd'hui. Les entreprises qui
s'estiment déjà prêtes sont encore minoritaires et le niveau global de
préparation des PME européennes ne progresse que faiblement. En revanche,
les entreprises de taille moyenne se distinguent puisqu'elles sont
quasiment deux fois plus nombreuses qu'au printemps 2001 à être prêtes.
[02] La Commission lance un avertissement à la France et à l'Irlande pour
laisser-aller en matière de sécurité maritime
La Commission européenne adresse aujourd'hui un avis motivé à la France et
à l'Irlande pour non-respect de la directive sur le contrôle de l'Etat du
port. Cette directive oblige les Etats membres à procéder annuellement à
l'inspection de 25% des navires qui font escale dans leurs ports.' Le
renforcement des contrôles des navires faisant escale dans les ports
européens est une des mesures du paquet Erika I, approuvé par la Commission
après le naufrage du pétrolier du même nom dans les eaux territoriales
françaises. Le naufrage de l'Erika avait entraîné la pollution des côtes
bretonnes sur plus de 400 kilomètres.
[03] Cross-border payments : new Commission study confirms persistent high
charges - September 24 conference
Banks and credit institutions in the European Union still charge excessive
fees for low-value cross-border credit transfers within the EU and a large
number of these transfers are subject to unauthorised double charging.
These are the main findings of a new study undertaken for the European
Commission. The study examined 1480 credit transfers of euro 100 throughout
the EU, a larger sample than the study published in July. Whilst the
results on average delays for transfers are quite satisfactory, the study
shows that customers are given insufficient or no prior information by
their banks about the costs of transfers, that there is still a high
percentage of unauthorised "double charging" and that the average cost of
cross-border credit transfers has remained virtually at the same level as
1993 when a comparable study was undertaken, with an average charge of euro
24.09 for a transfer of euro 100. Banking charges will be a core issue at
the 24th September Conference on "Payments in euro in the Internal Market"
in Brussels. Speakers will include Commission President Romano Prodi,
Internal Market Commissioner Frits Bolkestein, Economic and Monetary
Affairs Commissioner Pedro Solbes, Belgian Minister for Economic Affairs
and current President of the EU's Council of Internal Market Ministers
Charles Picqué, European Central Bank Executive Board Member Tommaso Padoa-
Schioppa and Karla Peijs MEP. For further details of the study, see the
Europa web-site: http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/en/finances/payment/news/index.htm
[04] Structural Funds : Commission approves an Interreg programme for
Sweden and Norway of euro 32 million
The European Commission has approved a regional development programme for
Sweden and Norway, which will be financed by the Community initiative
Interreg III. It concerns cross-border cooperation along the southern half
of the Swedish-Norwegian border. The programme finances new cross-border
networks, cross-border activities of companies, training courses, specific
environment related projects and the development of the Sami community. The
total amount available until 2006 is euro 111 million of which the EU will
finance euro 32 million. Euro 30 million come from public and private
budgets in Sweden and euro 49 million will be contributed by Norway.
[05] Structural Funds : Commission adopts an Interreg programme for Austria
and the Czech Republic of euro 25.9 million
The European Commission has adopted a cross-border cooperation programme
between Austria and the Czech Republic, which will be financed by the
Community initiative Interreg III. The programme involves the Austrian
regions of Nieder- and Oberösterreich, Vienna and its northern surrounding
area and the Czech regions of Ceske Budejovice, Jihlava and Brno. The
programme will boost cross-border economic development and support spatial
planning and environmental protection. The total amount available until
2006 is euro 51.80 million, of which the EU finances euro 25.90 million
while euro 22.69 million come from national and regional budgets. In
addition, the private sector contribution amounts to euro 3.21 million.
[06] Structural Funds : Commission adopts an Interreg programme for Austria
and the Slovak Republic of euro 26 million
The European Commission has adopted a cross-border cooperation programme
between Austria and the Slovak Republic which will be financed by the
Community initiative Interreg III. The programme involves the Austrian
regions of Niederösterreich, Nordburgenland and Vienna and the Slovak
regions of Bratislava and Trnava. The programme will boost cross-border
economic development and also support spatial planning and environmental
protection in the region. The total amount available until 2006 is euro
52.50 million, of which the EU finances euro 26.25 million while euro 22.04
million come from national and regional budgets. In addition, the private
sector contribution amounts to euro 4.22 million.
[07] Commission takes note of merger withdrawal by Swedish banks (SEB/FSB)
The European Commission takes note of the announcement by Swedish banks
Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (SEB) and FöreningsSparbanken (FSB) to cancel
their merger agreement. The Commission stresses that its review of the
merger was at an early stage and that there was still ample time and
possibilities to find a solution to the problems raised by the deal in
order to ensure that Swedish households and small-and-medium sized
enterprises would benefit from a competitive choice of suppliers of banking
services, prices and quality of services.
[08] Franz Fischler gives cautious welcome to US farm policy ideas
Following yesterday's release of US Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman's
strategy paper for the future direction of US farm policy ("Taking Stock
for the New Century"), Franz Fischler, European Commissioner for
Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries, welcomed the apparent switch
of emphasis in domestic support to less trade-distorting measures and
stewardship of the environment. "We share with the US a strong commitment
to the farming sector. However, support can be given in less production-
distorting or more production-distorting ways, and clearly less production-
distorting is preferable. From what I have seen of the Secretary's
proposals, she is leading the US debate away from a failed policy of using
government payments to counter-balance price movements - a policy which can
only negate market messages." He added : "However, we have to see how the
ideas translate into practical programmes". Concerning the environment,
Franz Fischler supported the explicit recognition of public expectations of
agriculture's role in promoting and protecting environmental quality. "Ann
Veneman's ideas on environmental stewardship mirror many aspects of EU agri-
environment policy and integration of environmental concerns into farming
practice."
[09] EU-US hold high-level meeting on anti-trust policy
European Competition Commissioner Mario Monti will meet his US counterparts
Charles James, Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, and Timothy Muris,
Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, next Monday 24 September in
Washington. This will be the first top-level meeting in the field of
competition policy between the Commission and the new US administration
since Mr James and Mr Muris took office following confirmation by the
Senate shortly before the Summer. The meeting will consist of a full-day
working session on recent antitrust developments in the US and the EU, on
bilateral cooperation and how to further reinforce it, and on multilateral
initiatives. It coincides with the 10th anniversary of the EU-US bilateral
agreement on competition policy. Speaking ahead of the visit, Mr Monti said
: "EU-US cooperation in the field of competition policy has been a
remarkable success story, which has benefited consumers on both sides of
the Atlantic. I am looking forward to intensifying this important work with
our American colleagues in order to bring about an ever greater
understanding and convergence of each other's policies, standards and
procedures".
[10] Merger approved under the simplified procedure
Cooperatieve Centrale Raiffeisen-Boerenleebank B.A. (NL) / Autoplastics
(SV)
[11] Autre matériel diffusé
Discours de M. Prodi devant le Comité des Régions
Speech by Anna Diamantopoulou : "Towards a Better Quality of Employment" at
a Belgian Presidency conference
Speech by Franz Fischler : "Die GAP angesichts der Halbzeit-bewertung der
Agenda 2000 und die Vorbereitungen einer neuen WTO-Jahrtausend-Runde"
(19/09, European Parliament)
Speech by David Byrne : "Food Safety, Health and Nutrition - Emerging
Issues" at the Food Business Forum on Global Standards for Food Safety
(Genève, ! embargo 3 pm !)
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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